TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Swedish town uses chicken manure to help stop spread of coronavirus
Change Size
Garden worker Robert Nilsson shows chicken manure with which he fertilizes lawns in Stadsparken in an attempt to prevent residents from gathering for the traditional celebrations to mark the Walpurgis Night amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Lund, Sweden, on April 30, 2020. (TT News Agency/via REUTERS /Johan Nilsson)
A
town in southern Sweden has turned to a traditional source to try to prevent the coronavirus spreading during an annual festive event on Thursday: chicken manure.
The university town of Lund began spreading chicken droppings in its central park to put off would-be revelers who would usually come on April 30 to celebrate Walpurgis Night.
The occasion, marking the shift away from dark, chilly winter days towards brighter spring and summer days, is typically celebrated with picnics, parties and bonfires across the country, and regularly attracts thousands of students.
"This is a park where usually 30,000 people gather, but with COVID-19 this is now unthinkable," the town's mayor, Philip Sandberg, told Reuters. "We don't want Lund to become an epicenter for the spread of the disease."
Read also: Hello, social distancing. Goodbye, handshakes?
Sweden has taken a softer approach than many other countries to preventing the spread of the respiratory disease that the coronavirus can cause, asking rather than ordering people to maintain social distancing.
In line with this policy, authorities have requested people avoid gathering for this year's Walpurgis Night, but have not banned festivities.
The authorities fear young people, especially students, will still want to enjoy a picnic and drink in the park.
"Most students in Lund and other parts of Sweden respect the recommendations ... although even a small number of people still going to the park can become a big risk," Sandberg said.
